Ms LeStrange
by The Cauldron Simmers
Summary: The war is long since over, and everyone is off to Hogwarts for their last year. But there is a new girl in their classes. Baily Riddle LeStrange, daughter of the very worst, and she's got a crush on the Longbottom boy. ::rated for later::
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter I_

"Who would name their kid Bailey?" Draco Malfoy mumbled from across the cabin. I ignored it and stared out the window of the quick moving train. I watched a reflection of him make a face at me and one of his cronies laughed.

I wanted to hit him, hurt him somehow. I felt the intense urge to shove my wand down his throat and cast an inflation spell so he'd explode all over that cackling crony of his. I forced down the destructive impulse and pushed my wand out of my own reach in my robes.

I felt so plain next to all those shades of green. I'd joined up late for this damned school, yay homeschooling (sarcasm). So I still needed to be sorted. I rolled my hands over and over.

Mom was a Slytherin, Dad was a Slytherin, I was a shoe in, I knew that, but I wanted desperately to fight against fate.

The ride was too long and hellishly irksome. I appreciated having my mother's sense of humor briefly as I imagined Draco crying after he pushed me over my limit.

I eventually drew small designs in the thin layer of filth on the window to amuse myself. And_ finally_ the train slowed, but my as luck would have it a magical intercom flickered to life.

_"Please remain seated, we have a slight stutter in the engine, and it'll be fixed soon, we are NOT, I repeat NOT in hogsmeade yet."_ I groaned.

"What? Can't stand being around us anymore?" Malfoy hissed. My brain clicked off and I rose to my feet. My eyes darkened and I snatched my wand from the folds of my robe.

"You want trouble Malfoy? Hmm? You think you can test me?" I hissed between my teeth, I shifted my wand between my fingers, hearing the reassuring '_tink_' of the deep green serpent ring against it.

He rose too. "Are you threatening me?" he growled, his eyes hooded as if I should have been scared of him. "Do you know who I am!?" he snapped.

"I know better than you do you fowl little worm." I stepped closer to him glowering at him. I had my father's height so I was even with his eyes. "Bet you don't know who I am though," I hissed. He opened his mouth to make some smart comment, but the train lurched and he fell hard on the floor. I slipped a little on my high heeled boots but caught myself before I landed on one of his wide friends laps.

Common sense snapped back into place and I returned to my seat.

_"Thank you for your patience, we will arrive within the next few minutes,"_ The voice assured us and I smiled.

"You're lucky," he hissed. I ignored him, stuffing my wand back into my cloak.

Finally we stopped officially and I watched the rest of them leave and I followed. I was pushed in all directions in the isle and was tripped by a Slytherin. I yelped and as I hurtled toward the ground felt a thick tug which pulled me back to my feet. I shifted to see who had pulled me back and I saw a rather gawky looking Gryffindor boy.

He smiled and blushed at my shocked expression. I felt another nudge and stumbled into an empty cabin. He stood in the doorway and gave me an 'are you alright?' look.

"I think we should wait it out," I mused watching the rush of people walking past.

"Good idea," he replied quietly. I moved toward him, offered him my hand and introduced myself.

"Baily," I mused with a smile.

"Neville," he responded and shook my hand.

We were quiet for some time, I studied Neville. Somehow I felt guilty standing there with him. It didn't occur to me until later just why.

The flow of people abated and we walked out and we had to go separate ways, I had to ride with the first years because I needed to be sorted. He shrugged.

"Good luck," he mused and walked off toward the carriages.

"First years!! First years this way!" yelled a mountain of a man from my left and despite it being the wrong title I walked over.

"You looka bit tall fer a First year," he mused at me.

"Still have to be sorted," I replied. His warm smile mad me return it. He nodded.

"Alright, that's it? C'mon then," he mused and moved toward a row little boats, he took his own and the first years and I moved into the rest. I ended up in a boat with three others.

They didn't talk to me so I watched the shadows in the water and then gazed in awe at the castle. My manor wasn't anything like this.

We arrived and were herded into a room and we all stood quietly. Time passed and I didn't pay much attention to how much.

Finally, we entered the Great Hall and I saw Neville smile as our eyes met and I forced back the pale grey color my blush seemed to be.

A tall elegant older witch began through the list. I dreaded the closeness of _L_. "Lars, Michael Sean." A short round boy scampered up and the hat nestled comfortably on his head and then finally called "Hufflepuff!" I sighed as the woman's eyes fell upon the paper again and her face turned the same shade as the parchment. She looked up and met my eyes or, my mother's eyes and without much breath she whispered "LeStrange, Baily Riddle?" I felt my stomach drop to the floor as everyone within ear shot squirmed and stared at me as I moved through the crowd which split with fear as I moved.

I glanced out at the tables as I placed myself on the weak stool.

"Wait, who is she?" Someone yelled, they hadn't all heard. I groaned inwardly as the professor repeated my full name in order as I waited. "Baily Riddle Lestrange."

I saw Neville's face distort and then vanish as he looked away. Everyone gaped at me. The Professor moved to hold the hat over my head. She lowered it and I heard it make the most disgusting sound.

It shrieked, and curved away before it even touched me. "Slytherin Slytherin Slytherin!" It yowled and the teacher pulled it away. I felt the thick green garments way me down as I made a walk of shame to the table. Several people smiled and thumped me on the back, the rest were entirely silent. The whole place was a crypt. I wanted to cry, but I bit back the tears. _Damned thing never gave me a chance_, I thought.

The rest of the evening went by just fine, houses cheered for their new arrivals. I clapped along, but didn't cheer, I really didn't belong here.

As far as anyone here was concerned, I belonged in Azkaban with my mother's remaining cohorts.

I walked down the hall and I saw the herbology teacher stop Neville. "Mr. Longbottom, how was your summer?"

_Longbottom_, where did I know that from? _Longbottom? Oh god no…_ I stared at him and there was that face, he could have been his parents meshed together. _No no no!_ My mind shrieked and I felt the feast threaten to come up again. The number of times my mother had stuffed my face into a pensiville to relive his parents insanity. I felt tears rim my eyes and as the teacher left his eyes fell upon me and I knew he saw them. Bellatrix and Voldemort, I must have been their living image, a constant reminder for him. We stood there for the longest time, staring across the hall at each other.

"I-"

"I-"

We both moved to talk at the same time but both fell silent. I don't know why I did it, but I couldn't help myself, I ran up to him, wrapped my arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I 'm so so so so sorry, I know you must hate me I just- I'm sorry," I wept. Much to my surprise he hands came down gently and rubbed my back.

"Shhhhh," he whispered patiently into my ear. "It's okay, shhhh, it's okay," he repeated it over and over into my ear. I could feel him still tense, but he was so comforting I couldn't bring myself to pull out of his arms. I finally stopped blubbering but stood hugging him for just a little while longer.

We finally pulled apart, and we didn't speak. He smiled and I returned it.

"Thanks," I murmured, and then magically cleaned my face. He just nodded.

"Lestrange!" _Damn._ I flinched as the name hit the air and Draco put his hand on my shoulder. "Longbottom givin' you a hard time? Oh, but you guys know how to deal with longbottoms, huh?" Draco mused. And he gave my shoulder a squeeze and I could sense him smirking at Neville. I opened my mouth to tell him off, but Neville beat me to it.

"Shut up Malfoy," he hissed and glowered at him. I smiled, Neville was a full five inches taller than Draco and as he moved to stand closer I felt Draco shrink just a bit.

"Make me," Draco growled and I felt him inch a bit behind me. Neville rolled his eyes and turned, walking away.

Draco's wand went into action and he aimed a curse at Neville's back.

"Stupify!" I snapped my wand pressed into Draco's abdomen he flailed weakly before stumbling and landing on his back on the floor. Neville spun back around and gaped at the scene. I'd moved so my healed boot sat on Draco's throat.

"_His back was turned! You coward! You'd have cursed him without him looking at you!?" _I yelled at him and Neville saw where it was going, he grabbed me from behind, around my arms and hooking his hands in front of me, he pulled me back, removing my weight from Draco's throat. I squirmed and yelled some obscene words at Draco.

A Slytherin removed my spell from Draco who sat up and gaped up at me. With my legs half flailing trying to plant a toe or heal on his perfect face, I must have looked just like Bellatrix, accept different, I had Tom's eyes and intentions. Draco forced himself to his feet and looked nervously at Neville. I saw him silently begging him not to let me go until he was out of wand reach. I stopped flailing.

"Let me go Neville," I whispered, my hair falling across my face.

"No-"

"Take my wand, I won't curse him, we're making a scene." He nodded and let me go, I dropped my wand on the floor and in one swift move my fist crashed into Draco's perfect nose. _SNAP_! I couldn't help but laugh as he shrieked and fell to the ground writhing again. Next thing I knew Neville was wrapped around me again, holding me back again, I saw my wand in hand and I could feel his ribs quiver as he restrained his laughter. Blood spurted all over the floor and Draco screamed every time he moved.

"PROFFESSOR!" someone yelled in warning, but it was too late, Rubius Hagrid was tall enough to see us all. He stormed through the crowd, Lifted Draco in one cradling arm and nodded for Neville to follow him, keeping a restraint on me. He nodded.

"I'm sorry for this," he whispered into my ear. Next thing I knew I had been thrown like a bag of potatoes over Neville's shoulder, and he was walking down the hall after Hagrid.

"Is this really necessary?" I whined, I felt the binding charms on my wrists and squirmed.

"Yeah, sorry," he mused. Damned prefect. I sighed and gave up, I watched the crowd staring after us and lowered my eyes.

Neville was… fit. His pants looked a bit tight, he was well built and I wanted intensely to give his well formed bum a squeeze. Common sense came back. WHAT WAS I THINKING!?

I shook my head, and tried to focus on the floor, but my eyes moved back up and I watched in approval as his bum and legs worked effortlessly. Who was I kidding? I knew exactly what I was thinking. I wanted Neville Longbottom, I wanted him bad.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Finally we got to the infirmary. Neville waited at the door as Hagrid dropped a fainted Draco off.

"What happened?" Mrs. Pomfry asked

"The Lestrange girl punched him."

"Good for her."

I gigged as I heard this. Neville chuckled and I felt the vibrations trail through my belly and it tickled. Neville then decided I was laughing too much, I was supposed to be in trouble after all, he thrust his shoulder up and I bounced briefly up in the air, being readjusted as he did. I flailed briefly.

"Hey! Not cool!" I whined. He chuckled again. I felt as though I may shiver at that deep rumble. I heard Hagrid walking over, and as he spotted us he started to laugh.

"Could I walk?" I asked finally. Neville and Hagrid shared a great laugh at my misfortune and finally Neville set me down. I sighed as the pressure from my tummy receded. We walked in the direction the Headmistress' office. Once we were out of view of the infirmary my arms were freed.

"You've got detention, tomorrow, with me." Hagrid said in his best teacher voice, then leaned down and whispered. "That was one hell of a shot." He smiled and gave me a giant hug before turning and leaving.

"That's it?" I asked Neville with a disoriented smile. He nodded. I grinned and then yawned.

"Oh hell…" I mumbled.

"What?"

I blushed, I felt dense.

"I dunno where the Slytherin rooms are," I mumbled. He seemed shocked by this. I saw him fidget.

"You could probably stay the night in the Gryffindor rooms tonight," he replied, and then added. "Er- the common room I guess I mean." he blushed.

I smiled and hugged him again. "Thanks," I mused into his ear. He nodded and hugged me back, he didn't feel tense anymore. He did feel really solid though, like he could be a wall. He led me down the hall and walked up to a fat Lady portrait.

He told her the password, something about some plant and she gave him a funny look, and then nodded toward me.

"Who's she?" Instead of answering he smiled and replied.

"She punched Draco Malfoy and broke his nose." The woman's face lit up. And then the whole wall was applauding.

"Wonderful wonderful girl!" she giggled and swung her portrait open. I giggled and walked in. I felt Neville laughing beside me and as we entered the common room the quiet roll of speech there went silent. I felt my cheeks go grey with a blush. Everyone looked from me to Neville. And then he did something that gave me butterflies. He reached down and caught my hand in his and gave it a squeeze. I felt a smile slip onto my face and I blushed.

A tall red haired boy hooted and then laughed. And suddenly to room was full of hooting howling catcalling Gryffindors. And I laughed, to hide my blush I buried my face into Neville's side. He laughed too and the rumble so close was really loud. He led me across the room to the sofa and sat down, I sat down beside him and leaned my head sleepily down on his strong broad shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me and gave my shoulders a squeeze.

At that point it occurred to me that he was probably acting. Yeah, we were friends or whatever but I couldn't see him feeling anymore than that for me. He just wanted them to let me in.

I ignored the thought and wrapped my arms around his middle and cuddled in close to him. I hadn't felt this safe in years.

"She looks like she's going to fall asleep," a female voice mused and I looked up to see a brown haired girl perched on the red haired boy's lap.

"She's tired," Neville shrugged back.

"Is it true then?" Asked a dark haired boy with dashing green eyes. I stared at him in awe. The infamous Harry Potter was talking to me. I felt my father's blood in my veins boil, while I felt only admiration for him.

"Is what true?" I asked sleepily. Harry's face brightened.

"Did you really hit Malfoy?"

I laughed. "Broke the bloody toe-rag's nose," I replied brightly.

"No!" Someone gasped from behind me.

"Yupp," Neville mused back. The room arose with laughter and I giggled. I watched the poofy brunette grin at me and then break out laughing. I sighed.

"What's wrong?" Neville asked.

"Come tomorrow I prolly won't be here again, Malfoy'll kill me in my sleep, or tell that Parkinson girl to," I groaned. He squeezed my shoulders reassuringly.

"You can come here any time you want," he responded. I smiled. I had an Idea. I looked to the brunette.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Hermione Granger," she replied.

"Hermione, tomorrow, could I borrow a set of your robes?" I asked with a smile.

"They're Gryffindor," she answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly."

"Can you do that?" Hermione asked.

"I'm hell in human form, honey, I think I can do just about anything I want to." We laughed. I felt comfortable here.

"So," the red head asked. "Oh, um, Ron, by the way," he added with a smile. "So, where's she sleeping?"

"Our room," Neville replied. All eyes snapped to his face. "What?"

I twisted to look at him and saw a pale pink rise to his cheeks.

"Umm, isn't that a bit risqué?" Hermione mused. Ron waggled his eyebrows for emphasis.

Neville opened his mouth to speak, and then caught their drift.

"oh- no! I just meant- I didn't- I'm not-" he stammered. I laughed. He looked down at me. "You could sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the floor," he offered.

"Or you could just share my bed with me," a boy I knew as Dean Thomas purred and waggled his eyebrows. I wondered if it was a Gryffindor thing. We laughed.

"Thanks, but I don't want to be a nuisance, I can sleep out here," I offered with a smile. People just nodded, Neville shrugged and let me cuddle closer to him. He was so warm.

So much unlike all those people Tom had tried to get me together with. They were all so much older, he'd tried to pawn me off on Lucius although he already had Narcissa, I dared not tell Draco that was how I knew him. He'd tried to push me in with Severus Snape, the potions teacher whom had been resurrected from near death by the powerful Minerva McGonagall. Tom had even tried to get me to spread for Peter Pettigrew, which was how I'd learned to punch, the man wasn't very fierce, but he was pretty sure if he taught me something I'd let him up my skirt. I didn't, his was the first nose to be broken by me.

I shook away the images of the horny old men, well mostly, Severus was a total gentleman and accepted my decline to his mild advances.

I watched the fire for some time, people were all so close, until at last the room was nearly empty, Me, Neville, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and a younger red head I came to know as Ginny sat watching the fire.

Eventually the others slipped out, Neville first and then the rest. Hermione summoned me a warm red and gold blanket and a pillow before walking away.

The fire went out eventually, and I cuddled up in the darkness of the common room and tried to catch some sleep.

I awoke at about two thirty in the morning with a start. I could still see my mother's snarling smile in my mind's eye. I gasped as I found myself curled on a thick carpet before a once again roaring fire. I felt a pair of strong arms around my middle; I shifted to see a comfortably sleeping Neville. I smiled, cuddled back into him and dozed off again, watching the fire dance with a lethal brilliance that reminded me in some ways of my mother. I ignored that thought and instead let my mind wrap itself around the strong young man wrapped around me.

"Hey… hey wake up." It was Hermione shaking me gently.

"Hmmm?" I mumbled. I felt a little disappointed when I felt the lack of cradling arms around me.

"Come on up to the dormitories with me so you can change, unless you want to change down here," she mused. I glanced around, seeing a decent amount of Gryffindor already mulling around. I got up and followed Hermione to the stairs. I went to follow her up, but found the stairs below me sunk to the ground until I realized there was no way I could get into that dorm.

"_No Slytherins allowed_," a voice growled from a painting on the wall. "_No exceptions."_

I frowned. And retreated to the flat of the common room.

"What's wrong?" asked a sleepy eyed Harry, Neville behind him,

"The dorms won't let her in, and she can't go out like _that_," she responded. She was right, my clothes were wrinkled from sleeping and, I blushed as I realized what nobody else seemed to notice, smelled of Neville.

"Here," Neville mused. He retrieved the blanket from the floor, led me to a corner without windows outside and smiled. "I'll hold this up, you change behind it, like a curtain," he explained. I nodded, blushing just a little. Hermione shrugged, handed me the clothes and the fresh robes, and Neville held up my makeshift curtain, modestly, around my eyelevel, or else it would have been too high up. HE blushed as he realized he could see me and stared down at the floor on his side of the blanket. I sighed, and proceeded to pull out of my clothes. Abandoning the green trimmed robes on the floor, and then my muggle clothes from beneath, remaining of course in underwear and a bra, I could deal with wearing them again. I picked up the clothes Hermione had brought and though they may have been rather modest on her, I was taller than she was. I pulled on the skirt first, letting it ride low on my hips at least covering what it needed to, and then pulled on the shirt. I realized she had an extremely small frame. While I wasn't fat, I wasn't tiny and had modest shape, so her shirt was tight, the neck too much in fact and I had to unbutton the top two so I could breath correctly, leaving some flesh revealed. I tapped Neville's hand to let him know I was decent and as he pulled away the blanket, people who hadn't been staring before were suddenly gawking. I blushed a bit and then pulled the red and gold trimmed robes on. I wrapped the tie around my neck and when I finished tying it looked up to Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Harry for approval. They smiled.

I pulled my shoes on and found my wand on the table nearby. I cast a cleanliness spell, deciding I'd bathe soon. I glanced at the window catching a shadowed reflection and smiled in approval, I looked Gryffindor enough.

I felt Neville's eyes bearing into me and I looked up at him. "How do I look?" I asked him with a smile, I wanted his approval.

"Nice," he replied with a sleepy smile.

"Time for the big unveiling," Ron teased sarcastically as he walked to the exit. I followed him and Hermione, Neville behind me and Harry at the rear. I summoned my bag and its contents and then we walked down to the dungeon for potions. I entered the room behind the rest and my two former suitors stood there, talking to each other. Severus looked as tall and proud as ever, Lucius was still luscious but seemed gentler somehow.

"Dad! See, there, that's her!" Draco whined pointing at me and jumping up and down briefly. Lucius turned, clearly prepared to give the student hell, but his eyes fell upon my smirking face and he gaped.

"Morning Luce, long-time no see," I purred, and Severus froze and looked to me too. "Severus, it's been too long," I added for his benefit.

Draco was dumbfounded; he and his father looked like mirror images.

"What'd she call you?" Draco asked.

"In case you forgot Malfoy, your family worked for mine for quite some time, or had you forgotten these?" I hissed and I pressed my thumb against my forearm and both Malfoys and Severus jerked. I felt guilty for using it, but the malfoys looked down in shame. Lucius left, giving me an "I'm-sorry-my-son's-face-hit-your-fist" sort of look. I waved as he stepped into his floo fire and was off.

I turned away from the fire, gave Draco a "Don't-get-in-my-way" look and moved to return to my friends, but Severus' eyes caught mine and he was weary. I sighed and walked to his desk.

"I want to clear the air here Severus, I know what side you were on, I always knew and my father didn't. If you don't believe me take a look, you know how as well as my mother did, better even." He just stared at me for the longest time before shaking his head.

"And I thank you for that," he replied shortly and patted my shoulder.

We parted ways and I sat between Neville and a blonde girl with a brilliant smile. She looked over at me and grinned.

"Luna! Luna Lovegood! Hi! You're Baily Lastrange, oh that's so neat! Could I see the mark?" she asked with a brilliant grin. I laughed, I liked Luna immediately. Without any nervousness about her shunning me, I yanked back the fabric of my new Gryffindor robes and lay my arm down, wrist up. She stared.

My mark was different from the rest, instead of black I had turned it into a deep golden color, of which I assured my father was in reference to perfection, but was in fact in reference to the ways things would change. I'd rooted for Harry from day one. She gasped and stared. I left my right arm like that and turned to look at Neville, he was staring at me.

"What is it?" I whispered. He shook his head and looked away. I'd done something wrong. "Really, Neville, please, what did I do?" I pleaded. I couldn't have him mad at me, I just couldn't. I wanted him to like me more than anyone else. I could have lived if he was the only person in the world to ever smile at me. But if he didn't I just couldn't. Again he shook his head and I felt so desperate.

I folded my hands on the desk, Luna having released my arm, and stared at the waiting cauldron before me.

Neville sighed but didn't say anything so I left it alone. My chest felt tight and I wanted to cry but I pushed the urge away and focused on what Severus … er… professor Snape, was saying.

"We will begin this term with a rather complicated elixir, pair up." He looked around at us and I watched dishoriented as everyone found a partner, I wanted to scream and cry at the same time as Neville walked around me and partnered with Luna. I got to my feet, catching the cold shoulder. I brought my bag with me and forced back the tears away. I stood as straight and proud as I could, I walked calmly to the back of the room where one smirking Draco patted the empty chair beside him. I took the seat and sighed.

He smiled, leaned in close to me and purred, "See what happens when you fraternize with wizards like Longbottom?" he hissed. His hand found my knee and he patted it. "You just get hurt."

I looked up at his face and his nose still looked a little pink. I felt the strangest urge to fall into his arms and just be held, even if it was him. So when he inched closer and pulled me flush against his side, I didn't complain.

He made most of the potion, sending me to fetch things every now and then. Pride got the better of me and I didn't even glance at Neville or Luna as I walked to the front to get my ingredients and went back. Hermione tried to stop me three times. Each time I would stop, look at her and assure her I would 'get her clothes back soon'. Draco looked pleased with himself as I sat beside him quietly.

One might think as Voldemort's and Bellatrix LaStrange's daughter, I would be fierce. To most, I was, I was wild, rebellious, and almost rabid. But I'd never been hurt like this before, I wanted to fall into a dark crevasse and just fade away.

Class was awkward, but we aced our potion and I appreciated the grade. Instead of heading outside for our next class, Draco snagged my hand and dragged me down a hall to a wall with a slim slit in it. He purred a password of "Sir Salazar" to it and it slid open with a rough grinding noise.

"Let's get rid of those ruddy colors then hmm?" he purred He led me into the empty common room full of greens and silvers and blacks and I felt him push my robe down off my shoulders and hummed in approval as his eyes fell upon my too small clothes. I fidgeted and moved to walk away from him, but he caught me and pulled me back toward him. He tapped the skirt with his wand and I saw from the lowest part of my eyes as it changed from red and gold to green and silver. He removed my tie which he had pulled the robes from beneath and dropped the lion onto the floor. He pulled off his own robe and draped it over my shoulders, he shrunk it down to my size and then pushed it half closed, leaving the short skirt and gaping neckline visible. He slipped his tie off and wrapped it around my neck, a bit too tight at first, causing me to gasp in shock, and then he moved it under the collar of my plain white shirt and proceeded to tie it for me.

As he fake fumbled with the tie, popping a third button off the shirt in his efforts, I demanded of myself angrily why I was letting him dress me.

I decided I needed the contact, and as that thought settled upon me I pushed forward and threw my arms around Draco's neck. He felt so different, maybe even wrong. He didn't touch my back; he just reached down and cupped my butt to pull me closer. I wanted to punch him again; I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to curse his lower extremity so he'd never reproduce. I let the urge fade away, or, maybe I forced it down like the nausea.

He finally let go and without a word, he walked out. I snatched up the Gryffindor tie and stuffed it into my pocked. When I got out to the hall he had a new set of robes and another tie on. We walked out toward Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Submissive was never an adjective one would even think of placing on me lest they be jinxed with such ferocity they would never again be able to call me such a thing.

But slinking behind Draco Malfoy, eyes hooded, shoulders scrunched, I was the definition of submission, I looked like a puppy who'd just peed on the carpet and been whooped with a rolled up news paper. I saw a few familiar faces spot me and any link I'd had with the mighty Gryffindors evaporated when they saw me tailing close to Malfoy.

He, Goyle, Crabbe, and I fell into spots close enough to see but not close enough to appear to care. I realized quickly that Draco had chosen this spot in particular, because about a foot and a half to my right stood Neville, Luna, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. None of which seemed to have noticed us.

I groaned inwardly as my eyes fell upon the ever stately Neville. If I hadn't messed up so horribly just a class before I could have been standing with him! Merlin's pants, but what had I done that was so horrible?

I felt dense. My self-pity could only be short lived however because the half-giant teacher 'ehem'ed loudly to silence us and we obeyed his whim.

"G'morning class, t'day I've got a extra special treat for yez." He looked proud of himself. He turned to the woods and let out a series of high-pitched whistling noises. A few awkward moments passed as the "treat" approached the woodline.

Hagrid, I had heard, had a habit of finding dangerous animals and introducing us to them. He fancied them I supposed, but needless to say nobody made much noise when the bushes at the edge of the Woods began to rustle.

A dog-sized creature emerged, flanked to the rear by two much smaller creatures of the same nature.

"Those creatures coming toward us are Dorelle, a very rare form of shapeshifting animal." Hagrid looked really pleased with himself. I gazed in awe as the trio moved toward us. "Now, a'fore they get too close I'd like ta explain a few things about 'em," Hagrid glanced around to make sure he had everyone's attention before continuing. "Dorelle ain't your typical shapeshifters. They dun't change of their own free will, in fact most people see different thin's when looking upon the same Dorelle," Hagrid mused, allowing a brief pause for surprised whispers.

"Also, if their looks to you are unpleasant then do _not_ approach 'em, if yez don't like the looks o' them, they won't like the looks o' you. Alright?"

There was a quick murmer of agreement.

"Once they get close enough an' look comfortable I'll be askin' yez what ya see of 'em, if we're real lucky someone might see them fer their real form… I wouldn't cound on it though," he mused.

We all watched in half-stunned silence as the creatures approached. I raised an eyebrow as they came close enough to really see. Two of them looked identical accept for their size. The biggest one and the one to its back right looked like massive lizards, Grey and black, with eyes on antenna above them and jagged glass-like spikes down their backs. They made me shiver and I was about to step back when my eyes fell upon the third one.

It made little sense but this little creature looked nothing like the other two. It reminded me of a picture of an winter ermine I'd seen once in a magazine, accept instead of a thin weasel tail it had a thick one, like a fox, and its fur was more crème color than white.

I couldn't stop myself from inching forward through the crowd. People parted quickly to allow me between them and what must have looked like monsters to them. I glanced occasionally at the lizards which both looked intently at me as I approached, but made no move to stop me from moving to sit with my legs tucked beneath me a bit apart from the class.

The Lizards looked fiercer now, frightening and ravenous, but I made myself ignore them and I watched the little ermine-Dorelle intently. It sniffed the air, its ears perked and it spun around about six times before stopping and staring with big black eyes at me.

Nobody else seemed to move, or at least, I didn't notice them moving, all I could see was that little Dorelle padding up to me and hopping into my lap. It turned around once, twice, three times before plopping down in a ball and looking up at my face.

All was silent for a long while as I stared into the little creature's eyes.

Finally I felt the almost trance-like state dissolve and I heard Hagrid talking.

"You back yet Baily?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, good, what's it look like Baily?" he asked quietly. I realized I must have seemed rude, not turning to address him, but the little Dorelle had tucked its nose under its tail and was purring slightly, I just couldn't bring myself to move it.

"… like a crème-colored weasel and a fox had a baby," I mused quietly, moving to smooth a tuft of fur on its back.

"Well I'll be…" Hagrid murmured from behind me. I looked up to see both lizards looking at me intently. The bigger one seemed to smile and then simultaneously they both turned and trotted back toward the woods.

"Ah! Wake up little kit, they're leaving you," I whispered and nudged it. It lifted its head, looked at the lizard- Dorelle, sneezed, looked back at me and then cuddled closer to me. "Ookay… I don't speak sneeze, Professor, what's that mean?" I asked quietly. My legs were falling asleep so I scooped the little creature off of my lap and cradled it carefully to my chest.

"Hmm, if I di'in't know any better, and apparently I don't, I think you and that little Dorelle are bound." That answered absolutely nothing for me.

"Okay, that was no better than sneeze," I mused quietly.

Hermione took the chance to cut in and in her best teacher's voice read from her text, "The Dorelle are very rare, even more rare however are their witch or wizard counterparts. A Dorelle may find a human to which it is naturally parallel and mentally bind itself to that witch or wizard." She paused to take a breath before continuing. "The bond connects the parallel planes the witches or wizards mind with that of the Dorelle. The two will share many thoughts and be capable of speaking telepathically with one another…" Hermione looked up. "There's more but it's nothing to do with Bonding."

I nodded, I could understand that at least but… "Why me? And why'd the others leave it here? It's way too young to be on its own, look at it!" I yelped.

"They left it 'cause they aren't enough for it anymore, it's found it's human familiar of sorts and so long as you wanna keep it, it'll stay with you." I looked up into Hagrid's face and felt guilt. I couldn't find the source of my guilt, and it ebbed away quickly enough, but it nagged at me.

I smiled down at the sleeping creature as the class moved back to a patch of rocks in the sun so Hagrid could explain more about the Dorelle, but I couldn't focus on the information with the little angel nestled into my arms.

Luna came to sit beside me.

"What'll you name it?"

"Him," I said firmly.

"That's a silly name!" she giggled. I chuckled too.

"No, I mean the question should be 'what'll I name him', he's a boy."

Luna looked curious. "How do you know?" she asked, trying to peak up at his underside and instantly there was a rough paw-smack to her head as he stirred. "Well my my my!" she yelped and then grinned at the spunky little creature.

"I dunno, but he is," I responded. Luna nodded in aggrement.

"I wish one of them had chosen me, but they all looked the same, nobody stood out or called me forward…" she looked disappointed. "They were all really pretty though, like Thestrals sort of 'cept smaller and more blue than black." She nodded.

"What's he look like to you?" I inquired.

"Same as the others did, but he looks a bit darker in your arms, I think that means he's happy."

"would you like to hold him?" I offered and Luna's face lit up.

"Could I really?!" she asked. I smiled and without a word the little boy stood up in my arms and pounced into her waiting grasp. "Awwww!!" Luna giggled and hugged him. He stayed there briefly before abandonging Luna to return to me, where he sat with his head on my lap.

"Neville," Luna mused with a smirk.

"Huh?" I asked, well aware of the fact that Neville was sitting about three feet away with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"He acts a lot like Neville is all I mean, he's really loyal, and sensitive too…" Luna mused with a vague nod. I paused, a small ache rose in my chest. The little kit looked up at me, and he looked sad too. He then leapt off my lap and strutted over to Neville, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

The group spotted him and much to my surprise the little creature bound up onto Neville's lap and poked his stomach with it's nose.

"Hmm?" Neville murmered. I saw the word Mongoose in the forefront of my mind and then watched as the little creature dove with ferocity at Draco.

"Ahhh! Get it off! G- ahh!" Draco shrieked and rolled, trying to escape. I broke out laughing as it bit his nose, not breaking the skin but scaring Draco into lying still. Neville laughed so hard he slipped off the rock he was perched on and landed on the ground, he landed so he was laying very near my own seat and I couldn't help but look over at him.

My little minion abandoned his attack on Draco and moved to sit on Neville's lap. He pawed at Neville's face until he turned it and I found myself staring eye to eye with Neville Longbottom.

I tried to say something, but couldn't find any words.

Behind me Luna smiled. She poked my back with her wand and murmured "repairo" I didn't feel any different, but when I went to look down at my hands to avoid Neville's half-upset half-angry gaze I saw red and gold adorning my skirt instead of the silver and green.

I felt a warm tingling sensation in my stomach and a smile slipped onto my lips.

"What do you see Neville?" Luna asked from behind me. I expected him to say something about my little snake-killing-Dorelle, but instead he responded with.

"I dunno… she won't look at me."

I thought all the air in my lungs had vanished for a second and then when I inhaled again I looked back at Neville's face.

What I did next caught him, Luna, and the rest of the group by surprise.

I _slapped_ the most delectable boy in the entire school (from my point of view) across the face.

"Ouch!" Neville yowled. "What was that for?"

I was fuming, and my little Mongoose-Dorelle looked amused.

"You can't get mad at me, or angry or whatever the hell you were in potions and then try some cutsie sh- stuff! I don't care if you assisted in the fall of Satan himself you _do not _get special treatment! And what's more-"

But my rant was silenced by my little Mongoose-Dorelle leaping off his chest and landing on my back, and pushing me down so I slipped off my rock onto all fours on the ground and my lips pressed against Neville's.

Neville snatched the chance as though he didn't think it would ever present itself again he wrapped his arms around my back, and tugged me down, kissing me all the while. His tongue pressed at my lips, demanding entrance, and despite desperately wanting him to kiss me like that, I made myself pull away. I sat up glaring down at him. He sighed.

"Baily, I'm sorry," he mused quietly.

"Oi! You two going to return to class or what?" Hagrid hollered, but he seemed humored. I got up off Neville and returned to my rock. He too sat up, but instead of returning to his rock he sat on the grass near my feet beside my little Mongoose-Dorelle. I really didn't want to talk to him right away.

My weak "I-need-to-be-held" mentality nolonger took presidence in my mind. All I could see was a pointless attitude Neville had taken with me that I couldn't explain. He and I both knew I didn't deserve to be treated like the scum off the bottom of a shoe and that was exactly how I felt he'd treated me.

The class inched by and by the end Hagrid had called up my Dorelle and was suggesting I send it mental suggestions, to see how well we were linked or something.

Enjoying the chance I told him to dive at Gregory Goyle. I'm pretty sure he messed his knickers when he landed on his shoulder.

I wanted a name for my Dorelle but I couldn't think of one.

"How do we know he hasn't already got a name?" Luna mused as I silently suggested my Dorelle creap up on Draco from some tall grass nearby.

She had a point. How rude it must have seemed for me to be trying to find a namefor someone who probably already had one.

"Hey, little one, what have you been called?" I called aloud. He popped up from the grass and looked at me.

His words fluttered into my mind like a falling leaf upon the wind lands on the grass. "Mateo".

His mind-voice was so serene it almost took my breath away.

"Mateo, I think it fits, don't you?" I mused turning to Luna. She grinned a blazing pearly smile and nodded vigorously.

"I like it…"Neville offered. I frowned and glared down at him,

"Don't make me change my mind _Longbottom_," I growled. His expression looked like he'd been hit with the slug-vomitting Jinx. I felt a little guilty, that was cold on my part… but I couldn't help it, I could get mad at other people and I could like other people but with him, it was unrelenting fury or absolute adoration. Mateo stalked back over and took a seat near Luna and pawed at her robes.

Luna looked down at him and nodded.

"I know little guy," she crooned as she lifted him up onto her lap. I raised an eyebrow at the two and Mateo's eyes got really big.

'_Why are you mad at him?_' he asked. I just shook my head, Mateo snorted.

"Now don't get lippy Matty," Luna scowled. Mateo looked up at her and grumbled but nodded.

"Reckon they're distantly related? Loony and Matty, yeah I could see it," Ron mused, Hermione thumped him in the back of the skull. "Oi!"

"Don't be rude Ron." I smiled, they hadn't adressed me, but they seemed pretty comfortable here.

"Alrighty, then, erm, see you all tomorrow," Hagrid called over the group and as if it were an invitation we all scattered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I looked off to try and spot Mateo and saw him curled up in Luna's lap.

_Would you like to stay with Luna for a bit then?_

Mateo looked over at me, then up at Luna. _She smells sort of funny… but she keeps food in her pocket… I like her,_ he decided brightly. _Yeah, I'll hang around her a bit. _

"Luna, would you mind if he hung around with you for a bit?"

"Really want to little guy? Oh that's marvelous, we'll have such fun, and oh gosh yay!" she chirped, coddling her new 'friend'.

I chuckled and got to my feet and stepped up next to Hermione. "What class next?" I asked brightly. She paused.

"Uh… Erm… Slytherin has another class…" she murmured half-heartedly.

"And?" I asked with a smirk.

"Oye! LaStrange! C'mon!" called Draco. I groaned inwardly. _Time to set the record straight_' I thought.

"Wait for me?" I asked Hermione. She looked a bit unnerved but Harry smiled and nodded to me. I nodded back and turned. I strode proudly over to where Draco stood, and looked down my nose at him, in my best 'you are below me' stance. He wavered briefly but reached out to take my arm. I jerked back. And with him that little bit closer I prodded my wand into his ribcage, hiding the offence from Hagrid.

"You listen and you listen good, I am _not_ one of your goons, if anything I should be calling you around. And if I _ever_ so much as_ imagine_ you think anything different I will curse you every which way to King's Cross, _and nobody would dare to stop me_, got it?" I hissed coldly. He did not inhale, exhale, or blink for the few seconds I stood there. When I backed up again I glowered at him. "Oh, and in case you cannot read family trees, _my mom is your aunt_, so if you try to grope me again, we will have a _serious problem_," I chirped, making sure the entire group heard, Hagrid included. I glanced at Hagrid, glad to see him turned away talking to a smirking Ron. I worked my jaw and then spat directly between Draco's eyes. I smirked, spun on my heal, and walked away.

I grinned as I watched Dean Thomas smile and then call "Hey Malfoy, I think there's something on your face."

Yes, it was childish, but it couldn't have made me happier. I smiled to him and then walked up to Hermione.

"So, where to next?" I mused. She tried to hide her grin.

"Ancient Runes or Divination," Hermione mused. I smiled.

"Well Ancient Runes is on my schedule, let's go for that," I mused brightly. Hermione smiled in approval and we set off. Harry and the rest turned to head to Divination, I avoided Neville's eyes, knowing he was looking desperately to me, apology written all over his face. As Hermione and I moved to the Ancient Runes classroom Hermione spoke.

"He really is sorry, for whatever he did," she quipped.

"Oh, I know," I replied, realizing how Slytherin that sounded I went on after a brief pause. "I'll forgive him, I think, but how he acted was just…" I frowned and shook my head. "It was just mean." Hermione nodded.

"What'd you do?" Hermione asked. I blinked, abashed.

"I didn't _do _anything! We were sitting there in Potions and he just threw a tantrum!" I snapped back.

"Oh? Because that's not like Neville at all, he's not bipolar," Hermione responded sharply, the rest of the sentence hung in the air between us. _'_he's not bipolar, _like you.' _I nodded, trying to think it through.

"I don't know… I don't think I did anything," I murmured quietly. Hermione shrugged.

"Think on it, but don't be a prat, Neville is forgiving and patient but don't expect him to stay that way if you're going to treat him like slime when a mistake is made," She said, it sounded kindly enough. I smiled without looking at her. I hadn't been alone with Hermione before then, and I could tell she wasn't all to keen on me. She may have been the night before, or maybe before I'd lashed out at Neville, but she and Neville were close, more than most house-mates, but less than her and Ron, and I'd hurt him.

"Thank you Hermione," I said, without much emotion. I could tell Hermione would need to be won back over. The thought bothered me, I had never been one to beg or ask for forgiveness, I'd grown up the bastard child of Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix LaStrange, everyone knew that both parents thought I would be a good protégé and they never questioned me. Suddenly I was in the real world, and I had a sickening nostalgia for my old life.

We turned into the doorway and there stood Bathsheda Babbling waiting patiently. She looked at me suspiciously but let it fall. She seemed satisfied by my entrance with Hermione. We sat and she began to teach. I watched with awe as her wand swooped, leaving a trail of color in the air and drawing the first rune. She explained the purpose of it, and then as it faded explained how one might use a rune, and how to activate it. I found myself taking notes to rival Hermione's own.

I was slightly unwilling to leave when the lesson came to a close. Professor Babbling smiled to me as I slowly packed things away. She moved over toward me, Hermione stood waiting, ever patiently in the doorway.

"I haven't seen anyone so interested in runes since… well in quite some time, If you'd like to come when classes end, we have a small group gathering to discuss some lesser known runes, I'd be thrilled if you'd come," she mused with a smile I nodded eagerly and with a grin she nodded and moved back to her desk.

I strode out to Hermione's side and we began to walk down the hall. "What was that about?" Hermione inquired.

"Something about lesser known runes there's a group getting together after classes let out," I mused merrily. Hermione looked intrigued but dropped the topic, or perhaps she merely filed it away in her mind for later investigation.

"Alright, so next we have a break to eat," she mused, then her voice dropped and I was shocked to hear her tone go sharp and say "_if Neville is anything more than a play thing you'd best talk to him."_ I nodded. We walked back into the Great Hall and there they sat, Ron, Harry, Neville, and Luna with Mateo munching merrily on a small piece of toast coated in something orange and green, in a small group.

Luna… I groaned inwardly. My mark? Was that what all this was about? Me showing luna my ruddy mark? Oh Merlin's pants that couldn't be it… I tried to shake the thought but couldn't. I walked to the table and stood behind Neville.

"May I talk to you?" I asked. He got up quickly and we walked out of the hall. We walked quietly for a short while, avoiding groups milling about. We found ourselves on the nearly abandoned third floor when I decided we should stop. "What did I _do_ Neville? I don't want to fight with you, I'd rather someone cast the Crucio on me, but I can't just accept that you got mad and let it pass, I need to know," I said looking up into his face. I watched him flinch as I said 'Crucio'.

"Do you know that your mum was there that night Harry and the rest of us went into the department of mysteries?" he asked and looked at the staircase below.

"Aye, she told me at least eight hundred times that she'd been there," I responded, trying to gague where this was going.

"She had me restrained for nearly half an hour before everything converged, do you know what she _did_ in that half hour?"

"Kind of?" I murmured, I knew she'd restrained him and that she'd told him she'd enjoy sending him to the nuthouse with his parents if he didn't die before she was done, but this seemed to go much deeper than that.

"I spent half an hour with her shoving her forearm in my face, telling me that one day all I cared about would belong to her and people like her. That my Gran and Granda would be dead and that I'd be her play thing, or better yet…" his voice cracked and he coughed. His eyes met mine and tears were threatening to roll out of them. "Or better yet a play thing for her _darling daughter_," he grunted quietly. I gaped.

"And that's not even the worst of it, I told her anything from her womb would've had to have been so rotten it'd die instantly," he watched my face as he spoke, " and then I told her she'd lose, that we were stronger than she and her ruddy lord gave us credit for…" he chuckled. "that pressed some buttons, and jabbed me with her wand, cursing me with all manner of curses, even the Crucio curse for a short while, but she seemed to enjoy the jumping of the aches and my responses."

"But…"

"I'm not done," he hissed. I bit back my words. "And when she was done, she put her wand to my temple and told me she was going to let me see exactly what had happened to my parents, and then she did, she cast the curse directly into my brain. I thought I was going to die, and the last thing I would see was that Ruddy mark she had held up to my face,

"The serpent, the skull, all there in _gold_," he growled.

My spit caught in my throat and I gaped up at him. _My mum had her mark in gold? She was never the brightest, she must have copied me. _I thought.

"Oh god… Neville I- I didn't know, if I had… Merlin's beard Neville," I murmured, guild swelled in my chest. "Can you forgive me Neville?"

"Why do you still have it?" he asked coldly, ignoring me. I scraped my arm.

"I… I can't remove it," I said quietly.

"Why not? It can't be too hard-"

"I'd have to kill someone Neville," I spat. He blinked blankly, so I just went on. "I'd have to kill someone with my bare hands, no wand, my bare hands, and then wash if off with their blood, does that sound like something worth doing to get rid of some ruddy mark?" I found myself yelling by the time I'd finished the sentence. He gaped at me, tears rimming his eyes, and I gaped up at him, knowing I was in the same state.

"I was raised in a way you wouldn't understand Neville, my parents liked me, but they wouldn't pull any punches when I went wrong. They killed my friends when they thought I'd done something particularly wrong along with a few curses thrown my way, Neville… I grew up wrong, you simply can't expect me to know what's right," I said, forcing my voice level. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry everything I do I wrong, I'm sorry my parents were psycos, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorrY! He swallowed. I felt a few tears seep out of my eyes, I spun away from him to wipe them away but he caught my arm and spun me back, holding my arms away from my face.

"_This_," he said, wiping a hand across my cheek to take some tears and held them in front of my face, "isn't wrong, you're allowed to cry, Baily," he whispered to me. Tears rolled down his face as well.

I sniffled, whiping my eyes with my sleeve and looking up at him through watery eyes. He sniffled and dried his eyes as well, and after a moment he was utterly calm.

"You should really teach me to do that," I sighed, sniffling again and drying my eyes. I fell into his tight embrace, his head resting on the top of mine. I could see only a small square of light over his shoulder and sitting there with a beaming grin and Mateo at her side was Luna.

I couldn't help laughing, and Neville swiveled to see, joined me.

Luna looked over at Mateo. "I think they're a bit _off,_" she mused simply.

"_That makes three of you,"_Mateo countered in his mind voice, and neither Luna nor Neville could understand my second spurt of laughter.

* * *

Author's note: Hey! Thanks for reading this far guys, sorry for the massive gap, but school was KILLING me XD. But Summer's here so I should be able to add a few chapters in a short amount of time.

Thanks for your patience, I really appreciate it! :D


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Neville and I sat down, me beside Luna and Neville on my other side. Mateo crawled from Luna's lap to mine and sat up, his eyes level with the tabletop.

_Hungry_, he whined simply. I ruffled the hair on top of his head and grabbed him a large rough looking cookie, which he took greedily, leaving crumbs all over my lap.

_You're going to have to learn some manners_, I mused silently to him. He looked up at me, wrinkled his nose, and then returned to his meal.

I reached to take a glass and filled it with pumpkin juice, carefully maneuvering so that I didn't disturb Mateo. There was a quiet rumble of conversation, 'NEWTs and OWLs' between Hermione and Ginny, 'Quidditch tryouts' from Harry and Ron. Neville, for his part was rather quiet, occasionally throwing in his two cents to either conversation and being drawn in for a moment before fading back out to listen. Luna turned to me, very much un-intrigued by the two existing conversations, it seemed, very little could truly catch this dreamy lady's full attention.

"Do you think we've found everything out there?" luna inquired.

"Uh… out where?" I replied. Mateo looked up from his cookie, his cheeks filled in a very chipmunky fashion.

"Out _there_, silly," Luna waved a wide arc, which Ron had to duck under so as not to be slapped in the side of the head. Harry smirked and chuckled at Ron's irritated pout.

"No?" I responded, assuming she was being general. Luna nodded and just like that the conversation was over and she was explaining that Gruggles flew in forms just like Quidditch players when they hunted. I smiled, and wondered if this girl was crazy.

I should have just enjoyed the simplicity, but I couldn't do that. My train of thought veered this way and that until it was centered on Neville. What were we, exactly? I had never been a 'hold your hand and call you schnookums' sort of girl. Honestly I'd never really been any kind of girl, I'd been The Pureblood Heiress, and I really didn't know how to be anything else than that. What if I hurt Neville.. again?

"Baily?" it was Neville, I looked up at him and my insides almost melted. He looked so concerned, so gentle. I felt so close to him, I was… I was…

I was going to throw up.

I shoved back from the table, Mateo shrieked and slumped to the floor, confused and irritated. I darted out of the room only made it so far as across the hallway before I collapsed, heaving onto the feet of a suit of armor. I retracted a little bit, pulling my legs up close to my chest and pressed my face against my knees. This was stupid, this didn't feel natural, and I didn't mean the vomit.

This being close to someone, emotion felt foreign, new, scary. All of these things, put together were twisting like a clutch of Devil's Snare in my gut.

"Baily?" It was Neville, and there were feet, hurrying after him "what's wrong…? You're sick? What is-" he had reached down, his hand on my shoulder. I wrenched away.

"Don't _touch_ me," I groaned weakly. "Please," I added as an afterthought. His hand came down again, pressed to the same shoulder. "stop…" I murmured, but there wasn't any fight to it. He pulled me up to my feet and into his arms. "Don't hug me, I'll heave on you," I threatened weakly. He tensed but didn't let go. The boy either wouldn't or couldn't take a hint. "Get _off of me!_" I growled into his ear, shoving hard against this chest.

"Baily, I…"

"Yes _you, you you you you you! Grow a pair, get over this emotional track of shit you're on and grow up!" _I was yelling, I couldn't find the source of the words but they kept coming and I didn't try to stop them. Hermione was gaping at me, Harry and Ron had fallen back. Even Luna looked alarmed.

"Baily, calm down you're being very loud and super mean," she said, stepping forward even with Neville. "Have you got a Wrackspurt? You're acting like it," she mused. I couldn't help but smile and chuckle.

"No, I haven't got one.. any… that is an animal right?" I asked bemusedly. My head and heart were pounding but I couldn't look at Neville yet, I could tell I'd flair again if I met his adorable eyes. Luna was nodding and stepping closer. I stepped back.

"She's bipolar." I wanted so much to slap Hermione. "She's crazy, she must me," she was saying with an oh-so-superior snort. I had been undecided, but she hadn't been. I equated with her emotions. She could dislike me all she wanted, hell she could change her mind. I wouldn't. I hated the snobby little wench.

"Oh? Really? Geeze, Granger, why don't you tell me what you really think?" I spat, shoving past Luna and Neville to step close to her. She looked ever so slightly surprised, but the surprise was overpowered by alarm. I stepped closer, the heals of my hands rammed into her shoulders and I shoved her back. "Huh?" I growled. Another rough shove, she hit a wall and slumped down, staring up in horror at me. "Well Mud-blood?" I spat.

The jynx hit me square in the back and I slumped even with Hermione. "That was sort of stupid, huh?" I snorted, feeling my veins burn as the magic ran through my system. I quaked weakly and then pushed back onto my bum. I shifted to see Ron's wand still pointed at me. "Well cast, here, see?" I growled, waving my wand at him with a repetitive spell. He crumpled to his knees just as I had and slumped back.

"Merlin's crotch that hurt!" he spat.

"Yeah," I snorted in response.

"What is going on here?" Minerva shrieked.

"Friendly no-holds-bard Professor," I responded, carefully pushing up to my feet again, my legs quaking and my throat painfully dry partially from the vomit and then from that mouth-drying that came with being angrily jinxed. I watched Ron working his jaw, he had jinxed-dry-mouth too.

"Friendly…" McGonagall was visibly ruffled. " Who the hell jinxed who?" she demanded.

"I hit the rodent!" I mused with a smirk, raising my hand and waving at Ron. "And I called her by name, if that's worth anything," I mused nodding at Hermione.

"By name?" McGonagall asked.

"Mud-blood, she called me a Mud-blood," Hermione was murmuring, rubbing the back of her head. McGonagall rounded on me and I did my best to smile up at her.

"_I _gave you a chance, Riddle, _I _got you brought here!" McGonagall was furious.

"LeStrange, thanks," I mused. _This_ was my element, I was used to people screaming at me and telling me I was wrong. _This_ I could handle. "And he jynxed me first, if that matters at all," I snorted. "But it wouldn't matter, would it? He helped kill Tom, and I… well, I'm his baby girl," I snorted bemusedly. McGonagall was -for lack of better phrasing- _pissed_.

"All of you! With me!" she snapped

"You are acting kind of Bipolar." I had expected the blunt honesty from Luna, but the voice that it came from was deeper, and it made every one of my organs, not just my heart, stutter.

"Yeah, it's what I'm good at," I mused, glancing sideways at Neville.

"How well do you learn?" he asked. I frowned thoughtfully. I had calmed down, exploding was my very favorite hobby, and it evened me out better than crying ever could.

"Pretty well I think?" I mused.

"I'm going to teach you to be normal," he mused. "Just call me Professor," he mused.

"Assuming I'm still here after this," I mused.

"You will be," he responded.

"Whatever you say Professor," I snorted, giving him a gentle prod with my elbow.

"You _are _bipolar," he mused.

"Maybe a little moody," I responded. And then he was gone, walking between Luna and Harry. I sighed weakly. He was right, of course. They wouldn't _let_ me leave Hogwarts. If I made a break for it they'd send a small army of aurors after me, and not to bring me back to Hogwarts, oh no, they would be there to end me.

Luna twisted to look back at me. She was grinning. "Before you can find what's out there," she waved her arm again. "You'll have to sort out what's in there," she pointed at my chest.

"Pretty sure that's fat, Luna," I mused. She smiled.

"You're very funny Baily," she mused turning back around, adding a bit of a skip to her step. "kind of stupid, but really, really funny," she mused kindly.

I couldn't help it, the sheer honesty in her voice paired with her kindness, I broke down laughing, tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

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**A/N: Hey! Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but I didn't want to force it and I really like how it came out. :3 Plus I REALLY wanted to update X3 **

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	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

The office was draped with so much elegance I wasn't sure if I should step in. The carpets looked foreign, expensive. But then, it could very well have been a dish-cloth, knowing McGonagall's specialty was transfiguration. The walls were covered with moving portraits, the largest right behind her desk was Dumbledore.

He stood quiet, proud as I could ever have imagined he would be. But I didn't have much time to gaze at him, or any of the others because McGonagall was waving us all into chairs, mine a bit away from the others'.

"Ms. Granger. I understand you were the first to be struck?" McGonagall asked. Herrmione nodded. "Very well, was there provocation?"

"No Ma'am," Hermione mused gently.

"Is this true?" McGonagall asked, glancing around at the others. I bit hard on my lip to keep from correcting her. It would do me no good to claim that an insult had caused my entire psychotic break. I mean … it _was_ true. I was a little crazy.

"No, Professor," Neville was saying. He didn't look at Hermione though I could see from the sweat forming on his brow that he was horrified to be doing this. "Hermione called Baily crazy… I mean, she was acting it a little bit… but that's what set her off. I-"

"Thank you, Mr. Longbottom… what exactly is your part in all of this?" McGonagall asked.

Neville's face flashed bright pink. "Baily and I are sort of kind of… close?" he murmured. His eyes flicked toward me and I felt my face going pink and my intestines twisting and creasing themselves into an origami toad. McGonagall gaped.

"Ehem… close?" she asked. She glanced between Neville and I, then shook her head. "I-right. Whatever the case may be it isn't the problem here. Ms. Granger, I understand you threw an insult. Very well, you will be duely punished. Mr. Weasley, I _saw _you casting the initial jynx, and so you too will have to atone for your wrongfull actions. Ms. LeStrange, I have seen quite a bit from you. You won't be surprised to find that your punishment will be apart from theirs. That leaves only Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom, and Ms. Lovegood… Have any of you got any complaints against them?" she asked. Noone said a word and so she nodded. "Right. You three may leave." Luna, Neville, and Harry got up and left without another word. I was confident Harry would be right outside the door waiting on Hermione and Ron. I hoped Neville would grow some common sense and abandon me.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley. Detention with Proffessor Hagrid, beginning tomorrow after dinner. Go." She was blunt and forcefull and they were out the door no sooner than she had begun to dismiss them.

"And that leaves you…" she looked more unsure than I had ever seen anyone. She chewed her lip and watched my face. "I assume you are aware that you cannot be put out. You would end up either deceased or an addition to Durmstrang or some parallel establishment. No, you will need to stay here. I understand you and Mr. Longbottom get along, fine, you will be given detention under Professor Sprout. I believe you will behave for her…" She stopped talking but she didn't seem finished.

"I understand you are afraid to return to the Slytherin Commonrooms?" I grimaced.

"I'm not afraid-"

"But you do see the threat the others in that house may pose to you?" I looked away and nodded.

"As such, you will be put up in my old rooms, off of the transfigurations room. They lock when you are inside safely, and will only unlock for your hand, or mine, should the need arise. I will accompany you there, and have your housing set up… I am sorry this is so difficult for you, Ms. LeStrange." I wasn't sure how to respond. I nodded again.

"Right… thank you?" I mused quietly. She rose to her feet and began to leave, waving me after her. She opened the door and much to my dismay met with a very quiet Neville. I couldn't see her face but Neville could and his ears went red. His eyes moved to the floor.

"Just wanted t'make sure she was… okay," he murmured to the ground.

"Very noble of you, Mr. Longbottom. I assure you she is fine, and you may speak with her later. On your way." He glanced up at me and my chest clenched a little. He swallowed hard, and turned, walking toward his next class, whatever that might have been. I felt my very existence reaching out to him. At my feet, was the second boy I'd been letting down. Mateo frowned up at me. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at it, and then at me.

She said nothing as Mateo scaled up onto my shoulder. She simply shook her head and turned. I followed her down the hall, and we took the door into her classroom. I followed her to the doorway I hadn't noticed before, tucked in a hollow behind a bookshelf. The spell she cast to make it let me in took only a moment and then she waved me off to get to my next class. I bit my lip. This would take guesswork.

I couldn't remember my schedual and I had neither a Gryffindor nor a Slytherin to ask. I grimaced, and began to walk in an undecided direction… which through some miracle led into an ambush.

I felt the air being knocked out of me by a wall as I was yanked one direction and then shoved back against a wall. My eyes hazed for a moment and then I was scrambling for my wand. But there it lay on the floor where it fell when they yanked me aside.

"Sorry, Baily… that was a bit harder than I'd planned it to be…"

"Harry?" I asked, shaking my head and yes, that was the boy-wonder's face. "What the hell?" I demanded, pushing him back, as gently as I believe I've ever pushed anyone. I moved to grab my wand and shake away the small headache taking up the back portion of my skull.

"Yeah… sorry…" he looked incredibly guilty. "I just needed to find you before well.. Hermione or Malfoy did… see the both of them are on the warpath…" he looked disheveled. He and Hermione were friends, the best of friends. I nodded.

"Thanks…" I mused. "Why so vital?" I asked quietly.

"Any slytherin with any real 'house pride' has it out for you, and half of the rest… I mean Neville's already been jumped-"

"Who jumped Neville?" I demanded.

"Only for information, I swear, nobody laid a hand on him," he reassured me. "No, I mean everyone's out to rip you a new one… I just, I figured you'd want to keep an eye out… y'know?"

"So, am I to assume that once we leave this alley you're on Hermione's side or what?" I mused. I was mostly joking, but it would be good to know.

"I- well… yeah, I guess…" he mused. I nodded.

"Wonderful… while we're here, ya don't know where I'm s'posed to be, do ya?" I asked weakly.

"Eh, Oh, right! Slytherin an Gryffindor've got Defence together next, after that ya can prolly follow Neville…" he smiled and then he was gone, clearly not wanting to be seen with public enemy number one. I chuckled. I couldn't blame him. He didn't know me well enough to put his neck out for me, and I understood that.

So I made my way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and took a seat in the very front row. The empty seats on either side of me were painfully obvious. I swallowed my nerves, sat up straighter and tried to ignore them. Thankfully they didn't stay empty for very long, at least not both of them. Neville slipped into the seat beside me. I didn't say anything to him, but our eyes met for a split second and although things were weird I was ecstatic to have him there.

"I see you're still alive," he mused gently.

"I hear you've already been interrogated…" I replied. He nodded.

"Hermione doesn't push too hard," he mused. Then it was my turn to nod.

"You are allowed to avoid me y'know," I said quietly. He shook his head.

"And miss all this fun? Not a chance." Mateo –who I had sort of forgotten was draped around my shoulders- slipped down and landed on the desk, then skirted to the floor to sit at my feet. I tried to ask him why with a silent inquiry, but he just ignored me, so I let it drop. A tall, red-haired wizard stepped up infront of us. His back pin straight, and his freckles covered as best as was possible. But Even magic can't cover Weasley freckles.

"I –for those of you whom aren't aware- am Percy Weasley. Professor Weasley, to you." His voice was a little bit sharper than I had expected from a Weasley, and despite being somewhat goopy he seemed to demand a certain amount more respect than the other Weasleys I knew of did. But perhaps I'm just uncomfortable with authority figures… At any rate Percy Weasley was our new DA teacher, and he was still talking. "We have a lot to cover this year, so we will leave introductions to a bare minimum." He was brisk with his words, and at this point he was moving across the room, lowering window shades and turning on a projector with quick, sharp wand flicks.

He went on, but I really wasn't all too wrapped in what he was saying. He had a voice that could numb your skull in seven seconds flat. Five, if you were an over achiever. I ended up gazing at the screen without a single thought in my head. OF course, that would be until I got pelted in the back of the head. I whipped around to find the source, only to see a dozen little projectiles hanging around at my feet, Mateo sitting in the midst of them and looking incredibly irked at having missed one. I peaked around, and found Pansy Parkinson smirking directly at me. Her desk was littered with the little weapons. I gritted my teeth and turned away again.

_Mateo, get up here, we're ignoring her._ I managed. I wanted nothing more in the entire world than to jump to my feet and call her out, to wreak havoc upon her defenseless form. But no, I was running low on second chances. Mateo obeyed, sitting on my lap and sniffing weakly, iritably at me.

_But… she's throwing things!_ He whined. I ruffled between his ears.

_I know, and I'm sure she'll get hers, but not right now_. He gave me a small smile and settled down to watch the projector which now seemed to have an image of a hunched man with crippled wings protruding from his back. I frowned, almost wishing I'd had the will power to focus.

It would occur to me later that ignoring a Slytherin was an even worse idea than jinxing her. Soon the little projectiles began to hit me in quick succession, and I felt the burn of tiny little explosions against my back. I clenched my fists on the table. By now Neville had noticed. This of course only made things worse. Neville gaped at me, and then took up his wand. I tried to mouth 'no' to him, but he either didn't notice or didn't care. With a near silent murmured spell the projectiles stopped… of course, so did class.

"BWAHH!" Pansy shrieked as she was launched backwards out of her chair, hitting the desk behind her with her butt/legs and flipped over it, landing hard on the floor. I gaped, Mateo snickered.

"Crud…" Neville murmured. It was painfully obvious this wasn't what he had ment to do.

"I saw that LeStrange!" Draco yelled, getting to his feet.

"What? What's happened? Parkinson? Are you alright?" Percy was asking as he helped hike her to her feet.

"That LeStrange girl is a psycho! She jinxed me!" Pansy was whining. My jaw dropped.

"I didn't- it wasn't- I just!" I chirped, whipping around to look at Professor Weasley. "She threw little explosions at me!" I murmured, waving at the floor… but they weren't there anymore. I groaned. She wouldn't have been smart enough to plan that, but the smug look in Draco's eyes said he would.

"Ms. LeStrange, to the headmistresses office. Now."

"But I-"

"_Now._" For the first time I felt the sickening lash of defeat. I got to my feet and collected my things. I did my best to stand up straight as I was ejected from the room, but I knew my shoulders were slouching and my eyes were hazy with a mixture of fury and despair.

I heard Neville get to his feet, but Percy yelled for him to sit back down. I left the room before I could hear what would happen next. I strode down the familiar hallways back the Professor McGonagall's office. I waited for her to be made aware of my presence, and within minutes she strode out the door in a rage.

"_We just had this conversation Ms. LeStrange! You do not get special treatment! You need to learn to control your temper!_ You-" but I had collapsed onto the floor. My body quaked with the desperation to hold back the weaknesses I could feel pulsing through every bit of my body. I couldn't do anything without being wrong.

All the control in the world and every move I made would still get me into trouble. Mateo growled when McGonagall inched forward. He tried to squirm into the crevasse I had made around my face, managing only to get close enough to press his wet nose to my already wet cheek.

I was weak. Useless.

"Ms. Lestrange? What…"

"Baily!" Neville's arms were wrapped around me, I could feel him pull me to his chest and I didn't pull back or retreat. What was the purpose?

"I- uhm… bring her in, please…" McGonagall murmured, thoroughly shocked. Neville helped me to my feet and led me in. I could feel Mateo cuddled up in the crook of my neck, prodding my face gently with his paw.

The world was silent then. I knew McGonagall was talking, I knew Mateo was pressing at me in the way we could communicate. But my brain wouldn't pick up their words. Everything felt numb. My throat was dry and I couldn't make myself speak.

I felt the hot tears hovering on the edges brim of my eyes and hard as I tried I could do nothing more than keep them from spilling. I could not call them back.

The world around me went hazy… and then entirely black.

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**A/N: AHHH I'M SO SORRY! I am horrible at this T-T So muc has been going on, but that's no excuse... Erg I'm a moron. I know. You can yell at me all you want, I expect it. T-T**

**Hbm123: You don't have to comment repeatedly, the point was only that I would get feedback, provided the story's getting some comments it will be updated, hopefully more frequently.**

**The-caps-locks-are-attacking: Thanks!**

**"reader": Hmmm... weird name ^_^ hah! And thanks! I hope you like this chapter o3o**

**Side note~ I know the story is looking really jumpy, confusing, and a bit hard to follow right now. I promise you that's intentional, there will come a point when it all really starts to make sense, until then, enjoy the confusion X3**

**~Simmers**


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